1. Introduction to the Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) WebSim 2003
28 October 2003
David Schell
President
Open GIS Consortium, Inc
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

2. The Open GIS Consortium Vision
A world in which everyone benefits from geographic information and services made available across any network, application, or platform.
As a response, the OpenGIS concept and dream began due to:
1. The user’s need to integrate geographic information contained in heterogeneous data stores whose incompatible formats and data structures have prevented interoperability. This incompatibility has limited use of the technology in enterprise and Internet computing environments, and the time, cost, and expertise required for data conversion have slowed adoption of geoprocessing across all market segments.
2. The larger community’s need for improved access to public and private geodata sources, with preservation of the data’s semantics.
3. Agency and vendor needs to develop standardized approaches for specification of geoprocessing requirements for information system procurements.
4. The industry’s need to incorporate geodata and geoprocessing resources into national and enterprise information infrastructures, in order that these resources may be found and used as easily as any other network-resident data and processing resources.
5. Users’ need to preserve the value of their legacy geoprocessing systems and legacy geodata while incorporating new geoprocessing capabilities and geodata sources.
From the Technology Perspective, OGC envisions the full integration of geospatial data and geoprocessing resources into mainstream computing and the widespread use of interoperable, commercial geoprocessing software throughout the information infrastructure.
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

3. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
What is the OGC?
Open GIS Consortium (OGC)
Not-for-profit, international voluntary consensus standards organization
250+ industry, government, and university members
Founded in 1994
OGC Mission
Our core mission is to deliver interface specifications that are openly available for global use.
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

4. Open GIS Specifications The Foundation for Collaboration
Critical Infrastructure Protection
OGC members are tackling major interoperability challenges of next-generation data sharing and collaboration….
Developing new specifications for geospatial interoperability and geo-enabling mainstream IT
E-Government
OGC
Web
Services
Web Mapping
Insurance/Re-Insurance
Location-Based
Services
Sensor Webs
Earth Systems Science
Defense & Intelligence
Real Property & Land Information
Modeling &
Simulation
Sustainable Development
Multi-Source
Operations
Research Validation / Transfer
Decision Support
Mobile Enterprise
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

5. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
The Growth of OGC
Over 255 members worldwide – 31 countries & 5 continents
91 European members - 19 countries
36 Asia-Pacific members - Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and Thailand
Twelve approved, publicly available Implementation Specifications
Broad OGC participation with other industry and international standards organizations (OASIS, W3C, OMG, ISO, OMA, IETF…)
30+ candidate Implementation Specifications in work
OGC Reference Model defines interoperable geo architecture
Rapidly growing list of vendor implementations
Two things are especially important when considering who belongs to the consortium:
The internet and web are international resources, and the web infrastructure for geospatial information must also be an international resource.
Technology users play a uniquely important role in OGC. Their specific requirements drive specification development.
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

6. Membership Growth / Diversity
Integrators
Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi, SAIC, Harris, MITRE, BAE Systems, Applied Geographics, Boeing, General Dynamics, Computer Sciences Corporation, Raytheon, …
Major Hardware and Software Companies
Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Microsoft, Adobe, HP…
Developers of GeoSpatial Technologies and Services
AutoDesk, eSpatial, ESRI, GE Network Solutions, Intergraph, LaserScan, MapInfo, PCI Geomatics, Questerra, Navigation Technologies, SICAD …
Government agencies that depend on geoprocessing
United Nations, National Governments: Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Republic of Korea; Sub-National Governments: City/County of San Francisco, Consellería de Medio Ambiente (Spain), Others…
Location Services/Telecoms
Webraska, Kivera…
Others
Content Providers, Power, Universities, Consultants, Startups, …
Membership has grown significantly since 1994, both in number of organizations and in the diversity of sectors and domains represented.
Representation includes major integrators – they see that OGC interoperability helps them create enterprise solutions that include a wide range of plug and play options for their customers.
Technology developers, from the major GIS vendors to specialized IT providers, are using OpenGIS specifications to reach broader markets, to reduce time and cost to market, and to provide their customers with flexibility.
Technology using organizations – agencies and corporations – identify and prioritize the areas where interoperability is critically needed.
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

7. OGC’s Approach for Advancing Interoperability
Interoperability Program (IP) - a global, innovative, hands-on engineering and testing program designed to accelerate interface development and bring interoperability to the market.
Rapid Interface
Development
Standards
Setting
Market
Adoption
Specification Development Program –Consensus processes similar to other Industry consortia (World Wide Web Consortium, OMG, etc.).
As a response, the OpenGIS concept and dream began due to:
1. The user’s need to integrate geographic information contained in heterogeneous data stores whose incompatible formats and data structures have prevented interoperability. This incompatibility has limited use of the technology in enterprise and Internet computing environments, and the time, cost, and expertise required for data conversion have slowed adoption of geoprocessing across all market segments.
2. The larger community’s need for improved access to public and private geodata sources, with preservation of the data’s semantics.
3. Agency and vendor needs to develop standardized approaches for specification of geoprocessing requirements for information system procurements.
4. The industry’s need to incorporate geodata and geoprocessing resources into national and enterprise information infrastructures, in order that these resources may be found and used as easily as any other network-resident data and processing resources.
5. Users’ need to preserve the value of their legacy geoprocessing systems and legacy geodata while incorporating new geoprocessing capabilities and geodata sources.
Outreach and Community Adoption Program – education and training, encourage take up of OGC specifications, business development, communications programs
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

8. Where to Find OGC Specifications - www.opengis.org -
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

9. Software Implementing / Conforming to OpenGIS® Specifications
Click on
“Resources” then
“Registered Products” at
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

10. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
OGC’s Framework of Specifications Establishes an Interoperable Architecture
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

11. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
Interoperable Reference Models and Architectures Focus on Enterprise Integration
OGC Reference Model
Critical Infrastructure Collaborative Environment
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

12. OGC Focus on Modeling & Simulation Decision Support
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

13. Modeling and Simulation
OGC members have long identified M&S as a critical geospatial web services need
Past OGC initiatives have addressed M&S requirements
Critical Infrastructure Protection Initiatives (CIPI)
OGC Web Services (OWS)
Current OGC Web Services 2 Testbed identifies M&S interoperability requirements
Key member linkage to decision support requirements
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

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15. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
Rapid Generation of Threat Models From hours to minutes via Open Standards
From OGC Web Services 1.1
March, 2002
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

16. Feb 2002 Demonstration: Featured Toxic Dispersion Events
“Scientific” View
Analysts and emergency managers monitor conditions in near real time spatial-temporal context.
“Media/Public” View
Color coded symbols are used to indicate areas at risk and road closures. Other features and landmarks such as roads, buildings, and water bodies are used to add context.
“Policy-maker” View
Hot spot areas are correlated with population data and other geospatial data. These maps are used to make decisions about evacuation routes and reoccupation zones.
From Critical Infrastructure Protection Initiative
September 2003
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

17. Chemical/Biological Threat Monitoring: Support Early Warning Notification1
Sensor Planning Service Used to Establish Early Warning Requirements
Emergency Command Center
Early Warning Notification
Common means for sharing location-based emergency notification messages
Benefits
Can remotely control and monitor stationary and mobile detectors over broad area
Early detection and assessment is key to swift, effective response and mitigation
A network-centric sensor solution means that critical information is available to whomever needs it 4
Early Warning Message Sent via Web Notification Service 3
Sensor Alert Conditions Detected via Onboard Web Alert Service 2
Sensor Observations Sampled via Sensor Collection Service
Planned future CIPI Scenario
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

18. Growing List of Implementations in the Community
Canadian Forestry Service
Australian Spatial Data Infrastructure
New South Wales
UK Ordnance Survey
State of Arkansas
US National Map
FEMA Hazardmaps.gov
Consumer Location Services
And many, many more
OGC User is available at Enter the Press Room
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

19. Potential Initiative Areas 2003 / 2004
Infrastructure management and protection
Sensor webs
Insurance / Reinsurance
Security for “Geospatial”
Command and control
Geospatial One Stops and GeoPortals
Spatial data infrastructures
Sustainable development
Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance
Real property management
Global change (weather and climate)
“Smart” Borders
Emergency/disaster response and management
National and international mapping
Environmental management (air and water)
Weather prediction and warning
Member interest areas
For 2004
Many links with M&S requriements
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

20. © 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.
For More Information
© 2003, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.